Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun, modern-set Dragons spin-off has high-flying adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Dragons: The Nine Realms
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 13 kid reviews
Kids say the show has elicited mixed reactions, with some viewers praising its character development and emotional depth, while others criticize it for lack of connection to the original franchise and poor animation. Despite strong feelings from loyal fans who express disappointment in the new direction, there are those who found enjoyment in the characters and plot, suggesting an open-minded approach could lead to a better viewing experience.
- mixed reactions
- character development
- connection to original
- animation quality
- emotional depth
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In DRAGONS: THE NINE REALMS, it's 1300 years after How to Train Your Dragon and dragons are nothing but a legend. A comet has opened up a mysterious miles-deep fissure and scientist Dr. Olivia Kullerson (Julia Stiles) is headed to a remote research facility to study the phenomenon. She brings her rebellious and adventurous teenaged son Tom along to the research station. There, Tom joins 3 other staff members' kids: tarot-card reading Jun Wong, shy bookworm Alex Gonzalez, and D'Angelo Baker. The teens are supposed to focus on schoolwork and avoid the super secret restricted areas of the station... but Tom has other ideas. He catches a glimpse of something flying in the fissure and decides to go investigate. He finds a dragon, which opens up a while new world to him and his friends. They each befriend a dragon, and each other, as they try to keep their secret safe from the adults all around them.
Is It Any Good?
It's tempting to wonder if the world really needed another spinoff of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, but this series is actually super fun for kids and grown-ups alike. Dragons: The Nine Realms has a great mixture of awesome dragon scenes, teenage friendships, and scientific mystery. Kids will love lead character Tom and his brave, curious persona (though grown-ups may wish he listened to adults a bit more). The rest of his friends are interesting characters that kids will identify with, and they'll also love the unique dragons they befriend. Like the rest of the Dragons world, the stunning animation and scenery in Nine Realms really bring the fantastical beasts to life. Families who enjoyed the original movies will have a great time watching this series together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Tom's mischievous behavior -- is it okay that he doesn't listen to adults and sometimes lies? Does it matter that something good (discovering the dragons) came out of his mischievous behavior?
What would you do if you discovered dragons? What do you think would be the most fun or most hard part about being around dragons?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 23, 2021
- Cast : Julia Stiles , Keston John , Ashley Liao , Marcus Scribner
- Networks : Hulu , Peacock
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- TV rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : April 3, 2026
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